This invention relates generally to gas cooking appliances, and, more particularly, to an air-inlet assembly for a cooking appliance.
Gas fired stoves, ovens, and ranges typically include one or more gas heating elements coupled to a main gas line to the appliance and providing fuel to the heating elements, sometimes referred to as burners. In a domestic range, a gas line is connected to a distribution manifold within the appliance to direct gas to a plurality of surface burner elements on a cooktop or to baking elements within an oven cavity. Operation of the burners and cooking elements is usually accomplished with burner control knobs mounted on the front wall of the appliance in front of the cooktop. Below each knob is a circular orifice, which allows air to pass down into the burner box of the cooktop. When a control knob is actuated, fuel is supplied to associated heating elements and an ignition module creates a spark to ignite the gas and produce a flame.
Electronic, touch sensitive, glass control interfaces are becoming increasingly popular in modern range ovens to control a variety of cooking elements, including but not limited to a bake element and a broil element in a cabinet cooking cavity. Known electronic controls have facilitated oven features and modes of baking operation not found in conventional mechanically controlled ranges. By implementing a glass touch control on a gas cooktop, the primary source of air for the burner box no longer exists.
In one aspect, a method for guiding air into a cooktop to supply air to at least one gas cooking element to produce a flame is provided. The cooktop includes a front edge, a rear edge and two side edges extending therebetween. The cooktop has a gap along at least one of the front edge, the rear edge, and the two side edges. The method includes providing a louver and attaching the louver to at least one of the front edge, the rear edge, and the two side edge for guiding air into the gap of at least one of the front edge, the rear edge, and the two side edges.
In another aspect, an air input system for a gas cooktop of a cooking apparatus is provided. The gas cooktop includes at least one gas cooking element, a front edge, a rear edge, and two side edges extending therebetween. At least one of the front edge, rear edge, and the two side edges form a gap so as to provide air to the at least one gas cooking element. The air input system includes an airfoil portion having a top surface and a bottom surface extending between a first end and a second end. The airfoil portion guides air into the gap. The air input system further includes an attachment portion having a lip extending from the bottom surface so as to form a groove between the airfoil and the lip. The groove is sized to receive at least one of the front edge, the rear edge and the two side edges.
In a further aspect, a gas cooking apparatus is provided. The gas cooking apparatus includes a gas cooktop having a front edge, a rear edge, and two side edges extending therebetween, at least one gas cooking element, a gas line supplying gas to the at least one gas cooking element and a louver coupled to at least one of the front edge, rear edge, and the two side edges. The louver includes includes an airfoil portion having a top surface and a bottom surface extending between a first end and a second end. The airfoil portion configured to guide air into the gap. The air input system further includes an attachment portion having a lip extending from the bottom surface so as to form a groove between the airfoil and the lip. The groove is sized to receive at least one of the front edge, the rear edge and the two side edges.